5 Ways to Live a Happier Life

Tips for making your life happier.

Let's face it, it's a scary world out there. With sky high unemployment rates and so many people looking for new job, things are tough all over. Whether you have been out of work for a long time, are struggling to get by with part time jobs or just working harder to keep the job you have, it's important not to neglect your own inner self and happiness along the way.

Believe it or not, it is possible to live an extraordinarily happy life, even when bad things happen. The key is to take time to care for your own self and nurture your spirit. If you are struggling to find balance in your daily life, here are 5 tips that can help multiply your happiness, no matter where you are in life:

Make a point to be responsible for your actions - Stop looking for other people to blame when things go wrong. Adopting the victim mentality will only make you more unhappy because your mental focus turns to being miserable. Instead, own up to your mistakes and your successes. Learn from the things that didn't work well and move on. Once you accept your responsibility for your life and your mistakes, you can start searching for solutions rather than beating yourself up about what other people did to you or getting stuck playing the blame game.

Try to find your enthusiasm - This is your life, and it is more than simply what you do for a living or how much money you make. Get excited about your life and the endless possibilities. Be willing to try new things, be open to new experiences, live as courageously as you possibly can, but never forget to be humble. This will keep you looking at thing in new ways.

Good riddance to old baggage - Think about the baggage you have been carrying around and find a way to just let go of it already. I know, it takes a lot of emotional bravery, but it's worth it. Staying trapped in pain because you keep playing the same sad story from the past is no way to live. The pain isn't going to comfort you in your time of need. In fact, it accomplishes nothing but slowing you down.

Question everything, especially your beliefs - This is something that was difficult for me at first and it is still something I struggle with. The truth is that we often build our lives and make our life choices based on incorrect beliefs or assumptions. I don't know how many times I didn't do something because I just didn't think that it was a possibility for me. It was as though my brain considered it, then decided that it isn't something that people "like me" do. By examining these beliefs, I had to ask myself who are "people like me" and why do they get a say in what I do? Once you're willing to take a step back and examine your assumptions, a whole new world of possibility and excitement can open up.

Live your life from a place of love - Once you let happiness in and let go of fear, hurt and resentment, the only thing left is love. Let that love guide your life and your actions. Treat yourself with love and give it to everyone in your life. Open your heart to life and you'll find that the love you send out will multiply and fill your life with more happiness than you ever imagined.

When times are tough, it's especially hard to find ways to be truly happy. The truth of the matter is that only you can decide to be happy. It doesn't matter what happened yesterday or what might happen tomorrow. Right now, this one moment, is all that you have. You can choose to be happy or your can choose to be stuck in pain, resentment and fear. The choice is up to you.

What do you think about happiness? Are there things that you do that help you find satisfaction and joy? I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments.

By Melissa Kennedy- Melissa is a 9 year blog veteran and a freelance writer for EducationJobsiteBlog and Nexxt. Along with helping others find the job of their dreams, she enjoys computer geekery, raising a teenager, supporting her local library, writing about herself in the third person and working on her next novel.